Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone.
My nephew who is five asked me what aspergers is the other day. I actually found myself unsure what to say. Truth be told, I have found that most adults struggle to understand, let alone a child.
What is short, succinct sentence that I can use for both children and adults? Rather than a technical explanation, is there a metaphor or analogy that could best describe aspergers?
Suggestion please. Thank you.
I explained to him…
‘Autism is a condition that affects the way I talk and act with other people aswell as see and hear everything around me.’
…I furthered with…
‘I can get confused by the faces that people make, the way they say something and can find lights too bright and sounds too loud.’
I know that there is much more to it than that, but he is only five-years old. The truth, is that the NAS sum it up nicely themselves with…
‘Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.’
… but try telling a child that! Though he is very bright for his age, I wanted to avoid using long words such as ‘developmental’ and ‘communicate’.